Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-01-07
CODMAN'S MURDER.
Horrible Confession-Edward Nowlin
is Arrested and Admits the Crime.

| BosroN Jan, 6.
| Edward Nowlin, arrested today in connec
ton with the Somerville, Mass, murder, ha
made full confession of the crime. He saws
he was the only one concerned in the murder
and the other two men who had been arrest
ed were discharged.
Nowlin killed Goldman at = o'clock Tues
day morning by stabbing MIN in the oacx of
the neck with carving knife in Codmau's
stable. Later in the day he cut the clothes otf
the body, chopped it up and took the pieces to
the country where they were fonnd
He had been thinking of the deed tor some
days, melted thereto by Codmans boast tul
way OF showing his money. He expected to
secure abou; 5000 with which he intended to
leave This part OF the country.
tie severed an artery and Goldman fell to
the floor and died almost instantly. He put
the body under pung, covered il up and
went on his milk route. taking his brother
with him He returned about IL. put up his
/ team and went To dinner.
! After dinner he returned to the stable,
cleaned up the traces of the crime rs best he
could and then deliberated as TO the dIsposi-
tIon Of the body. Finally he decided t, take
1t away IN the pung and secrete II somewhere
until he could safety get r,d of it. He feared
however, that II he pug ii in the pnng in its
| present condition people would knOw that he
| had human form IN his team. The weight
OF the body was also a consideration and IL
| make IT easier To handle aud also to hide the
traces OF his gha,Ly io.I he conclu led to
| dIsme nOer it
| tie rhen took an axe and first chopped of
| the left l. close to the BODY and then the
right arm, thinking that these members gone
he could readily handle what was left. He
then placed the body and the several members
| IN hn ,.k at A
them with rubber horse blanket, which was
subsequently found near the body, putting
the axe into the team also.
Before starting he tidied things up in the
stable, destroying what he could Of the marks
lett after his rough mode of dissection. He
concluded then TO secure the money for which
he had committed the horrible crima and
started with the team ani BODY in II for Cod
mans boarding house. He left the team
standing a few doors from the house and
lent in. telling the landlord that Goldman
was going away for an indefinite time with
another man and had sent him for his money
and other things. He was allowed to 90 up
to Codman's room to get the articles of ap-
parel and he carried away desk containing
about S275 in money and other articles OF
value
lie returned to the team and drove OF
toward Lexington. After driving a while
he began 10 realize the enormity of his
crime, and became more and more fright
ened as he drove along, imaging that all
who saw him knew of the dreadful burden
he was carrying. His fears worked so much
upon him that when he came to a lonely part
| OF the road and was tree from observation,
he took the body out of the pung, and half
frenzled by the fear Of detec ion. seized an
axe and chopped the head off aud smas he'd the
| n hp In p41 ha u,yh IA |,
| unrecognzable. He then threw the head
and arm over a WALL returned to the road,
lifted the body into the pung and started of
again.
After driving about mile and a half he
again allghted and taking the body threw it
into some shrutberv over a well where it
was afterwards found. The left leg he
secreted ia some bushes near bv. 1t has not
yet been found but the murderer has des
cribed its place of cOncealment and it will be
secured by thesotficers.
After depositlng the body he took the rub
ber blanket which had hidden the remains in
the pung and threw it as he thought over the
dismembered body, jumped into the pung and
drove of. The blanket, however, fell shor,
| of its mark and lett the body exposed His
hideous mission occupied some four hours ip
contamination.
After Nowan had killed Goldman in the
stable he stripped the body of its clothing.
bundled 1t up and put it in the team. He
threw this Oft without stopping some little
time before he chopped the victims head of
Ample evidence of the crime was found when
the police searched the stable, Nowlin's at
tempts to wash away the stains having been
Intellectual. In the middle of the floor was a
large space which had been recently washed !;
behind closet was box containing bloody
mass of flesh and gore and in another place
an axe smeared with blood was found When
the police confronted Nowlin with some OF
the evidence they had discovered he began to
weaken and change his tactics.
James Edward Nowlin is handsome
young fellow, little over IL years old and
very intelligent looking. lie is one of four
brothers who reside IN Somervile While
nothing really bad is known of the boys they
have the reputation OF being hot blooded and
wild. The father of the family, it is stated,
hung himself in pendentary in the Prov
lnces, his departure from Somerville a few
years ago having been hastened by somew hat
questionable acts.